Familiar Strangers
by nhemmick
Summary: Jack moved to a new town. Again. He's willing to make this place work until he can leave for college, but it grinds to a halt when he sees his old friend. Jack remembers the screaming, the metal bullet, the ringing in his ears; Jerry remembers the blood, the cold hands, the emptiness. Try as they might, it seems that fixing the past is like putting a band-aid on a bullet wound.
1. Chapter 1

Jack leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, watching his little brother build with his blocks and send each tower crashing down. "I have a new drinking game," he proposed. "Drink every time you say we're done moving and then we move again— oh, wait. I already have alcohol poisoning."

"Jack!" His mother gestured at Rylan who gleefully smashed his fist into his construction and watched as the blocks loudly clattered to the floor. "What have I told you about your language?"

Jack flinched as Rylan sent his blocks flying again. Loud noises always sent his anxiety spiraling, and he hated these heavy wooden blocks which were deafening. "I didn't swear. And it's not like he even understands what I said."

"And it's not like you _participate_ in drinking games, right?" she mocked, waiting expectantly for his answer.

"Yup." Jack took that as his cue to leave.

His mother sighed. "You need to think before you speak," she muttered, and Jack ignored her as he escaped to his room (or rather, his old room). He rolled his eyes and kicked at a box that he hadn't bothered to unpack when they moved here. He always knew that they would leave this town at some point, but nevertheless, he had hoped they might finally stay somewhere. Jack didn't care about leaving this town, necessarily. It was boring with two dimensional people that were merely tolerable, but the last thing Jack wanted was to relive the awkward new kid experience again. Especially not halfway through the school year. He was tired of reintroducing himself and never truly belonging anywhere. At least his parents were letting him finish this semester, so his classes would transfer easier, and he wouldn't be scrambling for credits.

Jack grudgingly reached for the box he had kicked. The tape was pulled off which meant at some point during his brief stint here, he had removed an item or two, and there was therefor space for him to cram his stuff in. Knowing his procrastinating self, it would take the entire four weeks to fully pack all of his stuff away. He cleared most of his desk off: highlighters he had never used (and was never going to use), keychains he had collected from various places, and a couple books. There was still a mountain of notes, but he had to resist the urge to throw them out. Technically, he still had to get through midterms, and he would need to use them. Jack glanced around his room, realizing there wasn't much else he could pack away. Most of his clothes were still in the suitcases and duffle bags, There was the actual furniture like his desk, but after that, there wasn't anything left. With each move, he had gotten lazier. He hadn't even put the posters up this time, but then he remembered that he donated them to Goodwill before coming here. Jack's belongings had diminished as he was continually selling or throwing things out to make packing easier.

With not much else to do, he flopped onto his bed and pulled his phone out of pocket. He made a group chat and started composing the usual "hey guys, I'm moving" text. He was met with the usual sad emojis and people telling him not to leave as if there was even the possibility of Jack staying behind while his family moved hundreds of miles away.

He promised them twenty-eight more days of hanging out and cramming for tests, but they slipped through his fingers and suddenly he was staring at the brick house with his backpack slung over a shoulder. He felt detached like he was just leaving some kind of dinner party his parents dragged him to. He lived here for almost five months and there were only a handful of memories worth keeping. It wasn't supposed to be like that. The first time they had moved, Jack was hesitant to leave his childhood behind. He didn't want to stay in that house- couldn't- but it was also hard to part with his best friend. Jack sighed and dropped his bag in the car. He helped Rylan buckle his carseat and waved to his mom who was driving the rented truck. The road trip had begun.

 **—** **—**

His new (temporary) home was on the coast in Seaford, California. Jack cracked the car window open, enjoying the light air. It was at least three times warmer down here than back in Oregon. The Pacific Ocean opened up before them, the waves rolling against red rocks. The sidewalk was busy with people, and down on the beach, people sat on picnic blankets. Smoke trailed from barbecue grills, and a group of people played volleyball. Something about this town seemed... above tolerable. For the first time in years, Jack was excited to be in a new town. Maybe it was because it was 70 degrees and not the dead of winter, but he actually liked Seaford. "What do you think?" his dad asked.

Jack glanced at his brother who usually never stopped talking, but the four year old was gaping at the palm trees. "It's fine," Jack said. If he showed too much interest, it almost guaranteed that they would move sooner.

"You look happy to be here."

"Yeah, until we leave again." Jack knew better than to get attached so fast. They would be packing up as soon as he graduated in June.

"This is the last time. I promise."

"Did Mom tell you about my drinking game?" Jack took an over-exaggerated drink from his water bottle. "You've said that the last three times, but here we are. Here we are."

His dad sighed, not impressed by his son's antics. "We're staying here, Jack."

"I'll believe it when I see it," he said under his breath. His father started to say something, but the GPS cut him off, directing them to the new house. Jack crossed his arms and stared out the window.

Seaford was a very nice town, especially with the sunset over the pier. He had been looking for a reason to pull his longboard out again. Or maybe he could rent a surfboard. It had been a while since they lived so close to the water. Everyone here looked happy from the old lady walking her dog to the group of kids sitting around a picnic table and eating ice cream.

Jack's mouth went dry. He twisted in his seat to look back. It had been a long day of driving, and maybe his mind was playing tricks on him. Blood rushed in his ears. He caught a glimpse of dark hair, and suddenly Jack wanted to get out of this town as fast as possible. Boring, uneventful Oregon was suddenly appealing. The car felt too small even as they drove farther away and the group of people shrank behind him. He tugged at his seatbelt as if it would loosen and reached for his water bottle, dimly realizing he was still holding onto it. "What'd you see?" his dad asked, glancing at him and away from the road.

"Nothing." They were driving along so quickly, and he only saw them for a fraction of a second. Maybe he had fabricated it all. "I think I'm getting carsick," he said quietly.

"We'll be there soon." Jack nodded, but he couldn't stop the feeling that he just saw Jerry. Jerry from Minnesota, from when they were eleven. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the window; Jack didn't want to think about Jerry being here or what it meant. He didn't want to think about his old friend at all.

It didn't take long until his dad pulled into a driveway and parked the car. "We're here," he said, taking the keys out of the ignition.

The thought of living in the same town as Jerry made Jack nauseous, but he was still staying here for a few months and was curious to see the new house. He expected it to look like all the others- two-story houses with three or four bedrooms- but this place was not like those modest homes. The first word that sprang to mind was mansion. his dad was horrible with direction; he must have taken a wrong turn, but the his mom was already moving boxes in. Jack knew there was enough money for this estate to be theirs, but it didn't make sense. His parents were wealthy, but they chose to spend it on all these houses, buying and selling the houses, so they could drag their miserable son they bought this house... maybe they really were staying here. He swung his door open to help unpack.

The house amplified every sound, encouraging Rylan to yell as he ran between the rooms, sometimes purposefully getting in everyone's way as they tried to move furniture inside. After being in the car all day, Jack couldn't blame his brother for having so much energy. He longed to go for a run himself. He dropped the last box of kitchen supplies off, and went back to the garage for his own things. He grabbed his backpack and the boxes of necessary supplies. Almost everything was inside already which meant they either didn't have a lot of stuff to move or they were very efficient. Both, Jack decided. They had plenty of practice, after all. He went back inside through the twisted hallways that led to various empty rooms until he was in the foyer where they had dumped all the boxes. Even with all their belongings, the house (mansion) still felt empty, and there was still a floor above them that had yet to be explored. Judging by the sound of Rylan's stomping feet and slamming doors was being accomplished.

He made his way up the dark wooden stairs. Walnut, he guessed. At this point he was very good at identifying different flooring. Rylan slid along the polished floor in his socks, knocking into Jack at the top of the stairs. "Careful, Ry," he murmured, grabbing his brother's shoulders and trying to steady him. "Did you find a room?"

"I want those three." He pointed at three doors, and Jack started to argue that he couldn't have three rooms, but he was caught off guard by the sheer number of rooms.

"How many _are_ there?"

"Ten. I counted! But these two are bor-ring." Rylan opened the doors to prove his point, revealing an ornate bathroom and towel closet. Just the bathroom was bigger than his last room; he couldn't imaging what the bedrooms looked like. "Where's your room?"

There were eight bedrooms total. Three of them were apparently Rylan's and Jack didn't feel like arguing with him. The master bedroom was their parents' by default which left Jack with four to choose between. Usually there were only four rooms total. What were his parents thinking when they bought this? He knocked a few doors open, deciding on a room with paneled windows facing the last rays of the sunset. Rylan followed him and started a game of pirates as he walked along the window seat (it was still walnut). After several minutes of talking to himself and brandishing an imaginary sword e looked at Jack, satisfied. "Can I have this room too?"

"What? No."

"But the pirates-"

"I'm sure your _three_ other rooms work just as well."

"I need to walk the plank!"

"Rylan." The four year old stuck his tongue out and fled the room, yelling about the Kraken chasing him. Jack sighed and folded himself into the corner of the window seat. he watched the sun fall under the horizon as night finally closed in. This town was not going to be boring.

 **—** **—**

Jack sat on the curb with his phone, trying to figure out where the he was. He spent all day yesterday helping his parents move in, and now he finally had the freedom to walk about the town, but he couldn't find his way out of the neighborhood. It was a maze with long roads leading to more mansions and no cell reception.

"You look lost." He jumped and almost dropped his phone in the storm drain. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Where are you trying to go?" A girl with platinum hair plopped down next to him, waiting for his answer.

"Who said I was lost?"

"Because I've never seen you before, so you're either a recluse who's been hiding forever or you're my new neighbor. And I know how impossible this place is. Oh! I'm Kim." She stuck her had out, and Jack shook it, wondering the last time he shook the hand of someone his age.

"Jack," he said, trying to figure this girl out.

"Great! Now that we have 'formally' met, where are we going?"

Jack stared at her. He didn't expect to meet anyone today, and included any outgoing tour guides. "I just wanted to find my way out of this neighborhood."

Kim jumped up waved him on. "Follow me, friend. Adventure awaits!" she declared. With no other options, Jack pulled himself to his feet and followed her. "So. Where are you from?"

He hated that question. His family was nomadic; they weren't really from anywhere, but usually people really wanted to know where they were moving from so he simply answered, "Oregon."

"Ah, a man of few words. Like Calvin Coolidge." She said the weirdest things, but Jack was strangely grateful for it. Kim seemed to march right by the awkward small talk stage even as she asked the typical questions. "It's fine. I talk a lot, but you probably already figured that out." Jack shrugged. "Okay, I get it. I need to, like, pry the conversation out of you. So tell me, Cal, did you surf in Oregon? If you want to fit in here- and not that I encourage conforming- you'll want to know how to surf."

"No it was always too cold."

"It's not cold year-round, Cal. There's this nifty thing called summer."

"I wasn't there for a year."

She squinted at him. "You're an interesting person, Cal."

"My name is Jack-"

"Shut up, Cal!" She clapped her hands over her ears and repeated, "Cal, Cal, Cal..."

"Fine, if you're going to call me Cal, I'm going to call you..." he trailed off, unable to find a clever nickname.

"You can't come up with anything," she smirked. "Face it, Cal, Kim fits me pretty well."

"I'll come up with something," he promised. Somehow, they had made it out of the neighborhood and the beach was just across the road.

"Hope you were paying attention 'cause you'll be leading the way back." Jack knew he would get lost, but that was a problem for later. "What now?"

He shrugged. "I was just going to walk around and see what was worth my attention."

We can go down to the water if you want, but we have to stop by the ice cream place because it's literally the best."

"I'm lactose intolerant."

"Oh, well, I'm sure they have something..." she tried to recover from her mistake and Jack couldn't stop himself from laughing. "You were joking weren't you?"

"Yup."

She smiled as they walked along the boardwalk packed with people. "the last people who lived in your house were an old couple that had been together since the beginning of time. I'm so glad you understand sarcasm and jokes because lord knows they didn't."

"I'm glad to be a source of entertainment- is it always this busy?" he asked as another person rammed their shoulder into him.

She gave him a sideways look, like he should already know the answer. "It's New Year's Eve. They have extra activities and and stuff all day."

Oh, yeah. It's the holiday season. After living in mostly Northern climates for the past couple years, New Year's was mostly associated with cold and snow. Suddenly being in sunny California, Jack had forgotten it was technically still the middle of winter. "Right. Anyway, tell me about yourself, Peppermint Patty." Jack had learned early on that most people were happy to talk about themselves which made it easier for him to avoid questions about himself.

"Peppermint Patty?"

"She talks. A lot."

Kim laughed. "Alright, fair enough. Um, I guess I have two brothers, and I collect seashells which doesn't make sense when you live on the ocean, but whatever."

"How old are your brothers?"

"Freshman in high school and freshman in college. Sorry, Cal, but they're not really the befriending type."

"Oh, I just thought that there might be a friend for my brother, but he's four, so that probably won't work out."

"My younger brother has very low standards. Also, spoiler alert: my mom was going to bring a housewarming gift and introduce our family."

"We'll make sure to introduce them, but don't keep me waiting- what's the 'housewarming gift'?"

"Certainly not homemade brownies that are really made from a box and a vegetarian cookbook we've been trying to get rid of!"

"Well, then, if I'm getting brownies, do we even need ice cream?" Jack turned away from the ice cream shop, teasing Kim. Twenty minutes after meeting her and they were already laughing like they knew each other for years with inside jokes.

Kim pulled on shirt and dragged him back. "Yes, because my family is selflessly giving away the brownies, I still need my sugar fix, and I won't let you go anywhere until you try the _best_ ice cream."

Jack crossed his arms. "I'll have you know I've lived in eight states, and they all have 'the best ice cream ever'."

"So you're basically an expert-"

"Or a skeptic-"

"Awesome, I await your five page, double-spaced review. Keep our spot in line, yeah? I'm gonna grab a place to sit."

Jack watched as wandered off and started talking to someone at the picnic table he had driven by the other day. When he saw Jerry. Part of Jack wanted to find out if he has indeed seen his old friend or just someone who looked eerily similar. but the other part of Jack wanted to leave it alone. It had been a long process to reach a place where he could talk about what happened without falling apart. He wasn't sure if he wanted to dig it back up just because he saw Jerry. At the same time though, he missed his friend. He wanted to know how he was doing and what was going on in his life now. He could ask Kim if she knew anyone by that name without risking the possibility of running into him, but something stopped him. He was a complete stranger to everyone else here. He could be whoever he wanted to be in a new town, and he had even made a friend who was strange and fun. He was tired off being a guest in all these houses, but maybe he could make this place feel closer to a home.

"Next," the employee drawled. Jack walked to the window and Kim popped up at his side just in time to order.

"A friend of mine is here if you want to be introduced," she said as they stepped to the side to wait for their ice cream.

"Yeah, sure." He might as well make another friendly face before the first day of school, and it would make today pretty successful.

She beamed, delighted by his answer and took her ice cream, leading him back to the table where a girl with long brown hair was waiting. "This is Grace. Grace, this is Cal."

Jack didn't even bother correcting her; he already knew it would be pointless. Instead, he smiled and said he was pleased to meet her. Yes, he was from Oregon. No, he hadn't surfed for a while. Yes, he was also in his senior year. Yes, he was enjoying his holiday break. Yada yada yada. Throughout their (predictable) conversation, Jack played with his spoon, watching the sugar and cream melt.

"So, Cal, what do you think of this wonderful, frozen treat?"

"I asked for chocolate, but if someone said it was vanilla, I would believe them."

"Oof, that's harsh," Grace said with a laugh. "Don't let Miah hear you say that."

"He's our other friend, but he got caught up with his family today," Kim explained.

Grace, who hadn't been eating anything, but was playing with a paper cup, scoffed. "For some reason, Miah and Kim swear by this ice cream. I'm with you though, Cal. I think it tastes like crap."

"Yeah, right? This is, at best, nonfat frozen yogurt."

"I can see it now," Kim cut in dramatically. "You'll start your own business called Cal's Critiques' and move around, taste-testing ice cream."

"Minus the moving around that sounds great. Actually, speaking of that, my mom texted that some weird neighbors came over? I'm supposed to go meet them."

"Oh. right! The vegetarian cookbook. How could I forget?" She tossed her empty bowl in the trash, and Jack exchanged pleasantries once more with Grace (it was really _so_ nice to meet you.) Kim gestured in front of her. "Lead the way, Calvin."

* * *

 **Hope you liked it so far! This is just a little school-related assignment. It gets a little out of character because it was originally with my OC's, but of course I can't publish that on here. Also, I had to make it a certain way for my class, and I was going to change it so it was closer to how I wanted it, but I'm honestly too tired. So.**

 **Not quite sure when part II will be posted so stay tuned!**

 **—loughlin**


	2. Chapter 2

**I want to write a quick thank you to everyone who reviewed on Part !. It means a lot to see what you guys have to say. I like this** **piece a lot even if the execution is a little iffy.**

 **Sorry, kkxo, but there won't be Kick in this fic. This isn't really a romance piece and fixates mostly on platonic relationships/friendships, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!**

 **glad you're liking it so far, jackandkim123!**

 **I always love hearing your reviews! they mean the world, and they encourage me to keep writing, optimistic girl94**

 **love hearing from you too, vicky2015, I can always count on your reviews :)**

 **I'm 90% sure there aren't any typos which is a little sus, but it should be fine! Enjoy part 2!**

* * *

Being the new kid in the cafeteria was the most awkward thing ever.

Okay, maybe there were situations that were more awkward, but this still sucked. Having found himself in this situation _many_ times, jack had three hypothetical plans. Plan A: sit at a table and see who would show up. Plan B: introduce himself to random people at a random table, pretending it's not at all uncomfortable. And Plan C: avoiding the cafeteria until he befriended people to follow around. The issue was that in reality, the tables were always full and he never wanted to follow through on B or C, so Jack would stand around and wait for something (and today was no different).

The school was much bigger than he expected and that he was used to. People were everywhere, talking loudly about their holiday break. Jack was completely lost until he saw a glimpse of silver hair and followed it, hoping it was Kim.

"Hey!" Grace greeted and Jack smiled back. "What was his name?" she whispered to her friend.

"Stupid." Yup, he definitely found Kim.

"Hey, stupid!" Grace's face fell. "Oh. Wait."

Jack sighed as he sat at their table. "Do you ever chill?" he asked Kim.

"Not really, no."

"Save yourself while you can," Grace warned, but Jack shrugged.

"I'm used to dealing with four year olds."

"You're so funny, Cal!" Kim reached over to steal a french fry off his plate. "Oh, hey! Here's Miah- you guys have a lot in common and it's kinda weird."

"You hardly know me," he protested.

Kim waved him off. "Cal, Miah, Miah, Cal. Oh, that's fun to say. Cal-Miah-Miah-Cal..." Jack tuned out her clucking as Miah took the seat across him and struggled with what to say because they didn't need to be introduced. Even after all these years and with the tips of his hair dyed blue, Jerry looked the same, and considering the way he was looking at Jack like he was a ghost, he recognized him too. It could have been worse, Jack reasoned. He could have actually been looking at a ghost. That thought just made his anxiety spike more. "See? You're both quiet. I told you you had stuff in common," Kim continued.

"Cal, was it?" Jerry kept his voice polite, but his eyes narrowed across the table.

"Yeah. Hi," was all Jack could manage. It was absolutely the lamest thing he could say, but what do you say to someone you hadn't seen for six years? Jack was all for starting over as a new person, but it felt wrong to pretend they were meeting for the first time. And honestly, it would be nice to catch up with his old friend.

"You guys are boring," Kim complained. Jack wanted to argue that his heart was beating so fast he was going to pass out. She waited for one of them to talk, but neither one of them so much as looked at each other.

Grace cleared her throat, unable to stand the awkward silence. "How's your first day been?"

"It's fine, but I'm actually, um, supposed to meet with a teacher?" Jack stood up, and tried not to look like he was finding an excuse to leave. He needed space to calm down before he completely spiraled.

"Do you know your way?" Grace asked.

"I can figure it out. I'll see you guys later." He made it outside the cafeteria, feeling like he had just barely escaped. His head was starting to hurt as unwanted memories surfaced—

"What are you doing here?"

Jack jumped as Jerry fell in step with him. "I could ask you the same thing. You're a long way from Minnesota."

"Even farther from Chicago."

Jack blinked, trying to figure out what Chicago had to do with anything, and remembered the brief time he lived there after leaving Minnesota. Of course Jerry thought he had spent the last six years in Illinois and not stretched out across the country, It was weird to think how little they knew about each other now, that their childhood was locked in a box and happend so, so long ago. "Touché. Have you... told them about Minnesota?" Jack asked.

"No, I came here to get past all that."

"Then we're on the same page-"

"I want you to stop hanging out with Grace and Kim."

" _What_? Why?" Seeing Jerry again was like picking a scab; a strange and satisfying pain, but Jerry was rubbing salt in the wound.

"You don't deserve their friendship, and I want nothing to do with anything from before. Including you."

"You're not making any sense-"

"If you don't want them to know, you'll leave them alone."

Jack's hands curled into fists. It wasn't that he was afraid for them to know; he just wanted to be _himself_ for once. Not the rich one, not the traumatized one, not the lucky one, not the new kid— he wanted to just be _Jack_. And honestly? Jack didn't know who that was anymore. He lost that person a long time ago. And fuck Jerry for being able to hold this against him already, He didn't want Kim's and Grace's pitying looks or to hear their sympathy. His last therapist had emphasized him moving on which only seemed possible if he didn't have to deal with people putting their hands on his shoulder and saying how sorry they were. "I thought you wanted to put it in the past, too, but sure, blackmail me on my first day." Jack swallowed his anger, and pushed past Jerry.

 **—** **—**

Jack made it through the day somewhat successfully, and he was more than ready to go home, collapse on his bed, and find a solution to fix whatever issue Jerry had. Unfortunately, that was too much to as for as Kim, Grace, and Jerry were standing right outside. Only Jerry noticed Jack, though he pretended not to and continued to invite the girls over to catch up on some TV show. Jack hesitated, not knowing if he was supposed to join the group. Kim was waiting for him so they could walk home, but after his conversation with Jerry he was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to be seen near them. Finally, Jack decided he really wasn't in the mood for more conflict, so he put his head down and started home.

"Oh, there he is," he heard Grace say. "Cal, wait up."

He sucked in a breath and turned around, acting like he hadn't seen them. "Hey, what's up?"

Kim smiled. "Waiting for you."

Jerry's lips were pressed into a thin line. "Will you two be coming over later?" he asked the girls.

"Yeah, sounds fun," Kim said, and Grace nodded along. "You should come with us, Cal." Oh, how oblivious they were.

"I didn't invite him," Jerry said quietly. Kim stared at him.

"What?"

"I said I didn't invite him," Jerry repeated, irritably.

"I think I'm misunderstanding," Kim said and gave Jerry, daring him to press his point. Jerry shrugged. "What the hell?" Kim snapped. "That's so rude." Jack would have laughed in different circumstances. She seemed more offended than he was.

"I didn't want to go anyway," Jack said. He had to keep this under control before Jerry completely lost his cool.

Kim looked between the boys, confused. "What happened in the five minutes you two were alone?" _What happened in the last six years?_ Jack wanted to say. I _don't remember this person._

"He's not coming over," Jerry stated plainly, crossing his arms. A muscle in his jaw ticked, and it was only a matter of time before he exploded.

"Please don't do this, Jerry." It was a futile attempt, but maybe some part of him would let this go. Or at least temporarily, until Jack could talk to him further.

"Jerry?" Grace echoed.

"It's just another nickname," Jerry dismissed.

"Miah-Jerry... What the hell is your name?"

"Oh, my god! It's Jeremiah!"

Jack flinched. He hated yelling. He hated loud noises. Jerry almost looked guilty after seeing Jack's reaction, and it pissed Jack off. If he feels guilty, why is he being such an ass?

"I think we're getting off track," Kim interrupted. "Miah, Jerry, whatever, stop being an ass, and let Cal come over."

Jerry looked away. "I don't feel like finding another body, so no."

Jack's last shred of patience disintegrated. "Stop acting like it's my fault! We were _eleven_!"

For the first time, Kim looked at Jack like he was a stranger. He ran a shaking hand through his air; he didn't know what to say or how to fix this. The California heat was choking him, his heart shouldn't be beating this fast, and it was so hard to breathe. He couldn't do this right now. He turned on his heel, leaving Jerry alone. He hated that he was giving into blackmail, but he didn't want to stand there and listen to whatever twisted truth Jerry was about to spin. He couldn't unless he wanted to go back to having therapy three times a week.

"Oh, how typical. You're leaving," Jerry drawled. Jack didn't look back as he walked past the buses and students, and into the woods where Kim had shown him a path that connected their neighborhood to the school.

It was nothing compared to the forests in Oregon, but the trees still kept most of the sun off his back. There was a woodpecker far off, drilling its beak into a tree. A breeze rustled through the leaves, and very faintly there was the distinct sound of footsteps. Jack froze. In the back of his mind he heard a shrill scream. He tasted bile, and he had to move before he was caught. He wouldn't be lucky this time— "Cal, talk to me," Kim wheezed, grasping at a stitch in her side.

"Pass."

Kim huffed, but for once, she stayed quiet as they walked until she finally caught her breath enough for full sentences. "What was Miah talking about?"

"Ask him."

"I'm asking _you_ ," she snapped. "Miah basically alluded to you being a murderer, and you don't seem at all interested in defending yourself. Obviously something really bad happened, and you don't want to talk about it, but Miah is currently telling Grace, and it only seems fair to hear your side, too."

Jack kicked at the dirt. If he was quiet enough, Kim would start talking until he was home, but Kim did not talk. He gritted his teeth and pulled a leaf off a tree. He busied himself in tearing it into tiny pieces to scatter over the trail. Finally, he sighed and dropped the stem. She wasn't going to give in, and the longer he waited, the stickier the words got.

"After school, my friend would take the bus home with me. Jerry would walk over later, and we'd all hang out while our parents were at work. There was one day where I was in my bedroom and Harper, my friend, was downstairs.

I heard the door open, and she screamed— like, a blood curdling horror movie scream— and then she started running up the stairs, and I just knew that something was wrong so I hid. Harper didn't have enough time, and..." Jack took a careful breath as his hand imitated a firing gun. "He went in my parents' room and took something expensive? I don't know. it didn't really matter. By the time I could get myself to move again, I couldn't do anything to help Harper."

Kim wrung her hands; her jaw worked, but it took several minutes before she spoke. "I'm sorry. I can't imagine what that was like... you guys were so young, too. And I hate to ask this, but what did Miah mean by finding a body? You were there."

"She was the first thing he saw when he came over. I was still hiding." _Like a coward,_ he finished in his head. They stopped at the top of Jack's driveway; he was _so close_ to being home.

"Last question: why is he mad?"

"I don't know. He just told me I didn't deserve your friendship, and I should stay of else he would tell you. I guess I broke that after school, and he was upset?"

"Oh, well, if we're not supposed to be friends anymore, you should probably go home." it was a well-intended joke yet it fell flat, and Jack stared adamantly at the piece of leaf that was caught was in his laces. "I'm sorry that all of this happened, Jack," Kim said. He wasn't sure if she meant Harper's death or Jerry's actions today, but it didn't matter.

He nodded and started for the front door, but hesitated with his hand on the handle. He really wanted to pretend today hadn't happened, but he also wanted to get back at Jerry. Kim had mentioned going to Jerry's after school, and after that altercation, those plans had been cancelled. "Actually," he called as she reached her house. "I heard there was this really good ice cream place? I might get lost if I go alone." Kim smiled.

 **—** **—**

Jack didn't regret getting ice cream even though the flavors blurred together (pistachio tasted the same as chocolate which was _not_ okay). Kim had been quick to drop the Harper subject, and moved right onto complaining about a teacher Jack hadn't met yet. She seemed to understand that while he suggested hanging out, he didn't want to carry a conversation, so she talked about everything. And when they added sugar to the mix, she became more talkative than he thought was possible. He didn't mind. He was happy to have the distraction, but it didn't last long. As Kim and Jack walked home, they ran into an unfortunate sight: Jerry sat on Jack's front steps, hunched over his phone.

He was caught up in a game or a text and didn't notice that he was no longer alone. For a second, Jack considered making a run for it. They'd burned enough bridges for one day, and maybe it was better to let things simmer for a night or two, but it took too long for him to decided. Jerry had heard Kim's constant chatter and looked up.

Jack stopped short of his old friend and looked down at him. "Why are you here?"

"To reconcile?"

"Leave."

Jerry hesitated, then nodded and tucked his phone into his pocketed. He kicked his longboard up, but Kim grabbed his arm. "Neither one of you is getting out of this."

"Traitor," Jack muttered.

Kim ignored him. "I'm going home, but I'll be watching from the window." She pointed at Jerry. "Don't think about leaving—" she pointed at Jack, "or locking yourself in your house."

Sulking, Jerry sat on the steps again; Jack dropped his backpack and took a seat in the grass. He twisted his bracelet around his wrist, not knowing what to say, but Jerry started first. "I want to apologize for today. The last thing I expected was for the new kid to be my old friend who ditched me. I panicked, and yeah, I was mad and took it out on you. Maybe that wasn't the best, but... I'm not entirely at fault."

"You realize your apology consists of indirectly blaming me, right?" Upset or sad, Jack could understand, but why would he be mad? And how could he sit here and act like Jack had wronged him?

"You just packed up and left. How am I not supposed to be frustrated about that? Not to mention that everything was about you. And I get it. I do. It was your house, you saw it, you had to repeat it a dozen times, you had to testify, but you hardly talked to me until you said you were moving as if I wasn't going through my own shit." Jerry's hands fumbled. "She was my friend, too."

Jack chewed the inside of his cheek. "I was living hour to hour, Jerry. That was the lowest part of my life, and you wanted me to what? Call you up like, 'hey, about that murder'? It wasn't my job to take care of you."

"I called you _everyday_ , and _everyday_ I left a message. All you had to do was call back. Just once, Jack so i didn't feel like I was alone. You were the only person going through the same thing, and the one time you actually talked to me, you were smiling and happy because you leaving."

"it's not like I wanted to move-"

"Yes, you did."

"Fine, so what? I'm not going to apologize for wanting a house that wasn't covered in fingerprint powder. I was suffocating. I _had_ to leave."

"I lost both of my friends in two weeks."

Jack dropped his eyes, pulling up blades grass and letting the words linger. He refused to apologize. He felt bad for Jerry, but Jack did nothing wrong.

Jerry threw his hands up. "I don't understand! I thought you _wanted_ to forgive and forget."

"Yeah, until you told me you've been mad at me for the last six years! I'm sorry you think I ditched you and that you felt alone, but it wasn't my fault! It's not really 'forgiving and forgetting' if it's meaningless, is it?" Jack sighed and covered his face with his hands. "God, what happened? And I mean that rhetorically because I know what _happened_ , but do you remember all those little jokes and ideas we had? Like we'd all take the bus together for the first day of high school, you were gonna get your license long before us, and Harper would cream us when we played basketball at recess. That was all so long ago."

Jerry blew out a long breath. "Honestly, Jack, I think we could sit here all day, and still not be able to get past this. We both went through hell, and we both made mistakes. We had to grow up so fast, and I know for a fact that it won't be the same again without Harper."

"There's always necromancy," Jack said under his breath before he could think better of it. Jerry's small scoff caught Jack off guard, reminding him of grass stained knees and bike rides. It made his stomach hurt. For a fraction of a second it felt like they were eleven again, but the long years came back, driving a wedge between them.

"I, um, wasn't really planning on resorting to necromancy as that's generally frowned upon," Jerry countered. They shared a forced smile. A rigid silence fell and Jerry took the time to pop one of his knuckles. "Look, I don't care if you're friends with Kim or Grace. I have no right to control that, and I don't think it would be the worst idea to be in the same group again," Jerry finally concluded.

"So... we're good?" Jack asked. It seemed too simple. Jerry couldn't let go that quickly after thinking Jack was a crappy friend for years, and he had even just admitted that if they can accept each other's apology, it wouldn't fix everything. Jack wasn't sure if he could ever look at Jerry and not think about that day, but maybe this was a good start.

"Better," Jerry agreed. He offered a tentative smile as he stood up, tucked his phone in his pocket, and saluted Kim who was still stationed in the window. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Jack nodded and watched him drop his longboard on the asphalt and kick of. The old Jerry would never have learned to longboard. They had a lot of catching up to do.

* * *

 **There it is! In all its glory. Part I & II.**

 **It was better with my OC's :(  
If anyone wants, I have other shorter assignments with these characters. They're really short blurbs, but they're kinda cute. Let me know if you're interested in reading those (they're prom related ;))  
**

 **Anyway, sorry Milton wasn't in it. Pronouns got confusing so I had to change it over to be Grace.**

 **Please leave a review and hopefully I'll be posting some more in the future (also keep an eye out if you're in the vld fandom!)!**

 **—loughlin**


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